The present invention refers to an apparatus that includes one single horizontal auger for cutting and mixing of fibrous product used for preparation of animal feed. The apparatus can be fixed or towed or self-propelled.
The equipments which are known, and on the market, used for cutting and mixing of fibrous product for preparation of animal feeds, are made with a hopper in which are installed equipments for cutting and mixing of fibrous products such as dry hay, silage straw and etc or alfalfa, which are loaded into the known equipment from the top of the hopper.
The known auger equipments for cutting and mixing of fibrous product used for preparation of animal feed have augers which are either placed horizontally or vertically within the hopper. The mixed product is discharged out of a door.
The known equipment with horizontal augers have a smaller height and width when compared to the equipment having vertical augers and are good for quite a limited production and where there is a limited space.
Horizontal cutting and mixing equipments are known to include many augers. For example, one or two augers are located on the bottom of the hopper and two or three augers are located above the previous ones which operate by cutting and mixing the product in such a manner as to press and un-press the product so it does not congregate in dead places where the material is not mechanically treated by the augers.
Equipment with several augers, side by side or one over another one, are very expensive to build and to operate, and require complicated transmission systems connected with the augers and the gear box.
Moreover, the known equipment that has several augers, side by side or one above another one, does not satisfactorily perform the mixing and cutting of the feed product because within the hopper there are dead spots where material does stagnate.
Moreover, these known types of equipments which utilize several augers, are of larger dimensions and therefore more difficult to operate in a small area.